A 34-member book club meets inside the parlors of one of Cherry Hill's oldest buildings, gathering four times a year to talk about historical fiction in a farmhouse that dates to 1816.

Peggy Wysocki, chairperson of the Barclay Farmstead Book Club, founded the group through the Friends of Barclay Farmstead nonprofit as a way to bring residents onto the 32-acre property at 209 Barclay Lane, off West Gate Drive, South Jersey Media first reported. Many members had never set foot on the grounds before joining.

"I started the Book Club as a way to introduce folks to the Farmstead … It was my thought that a sense of community would be formed as a result of the book club meetings. And that has happened," Wysocki said.

Meetings run from 1 to 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoons. The early start was chosen so members who need to meet children or grandchildren at school bus stops can still take part. Because the farmhouse parlors are small, Wysocki caps each session at about 15 people and asks members to RSVP in advance.

The readings have occasionally spilled beyond the parlor walls. After finishing Marie Benedict's "The Personal Librarian," several members traveled to New York to visit the Morgan Library. Others made the trip to Monticello after reading Stephanie Dray's "America's First Daughter."

The farmstead is listed on the National and New Jersey Registers of Historic Places and is owned and operated by Cherry Hill Township, which purchased the property in 1974. The Friends of Barclay Farmstead, a volunteer nonprofit founded in 1975, supports restoration and programming at the site. Wysocki formerly served as the Friends' chairperson and stepped down from the board but continues to run the book club.

The next meeting is Nov. 3, when the group will discuss "Theo of Golden" by Allen Levi. Two more sessions follow: "Whistle" by Ann Patchett on March 16, 2027, and "The Calamity Club" by Kathryn Stockett on May 18, 2027. All meetings begin at 1 p.m. at the farmstead.